Auckland Medical Aid Centre
Auckland Medical Aid Centre is also known as AMAC and is an abortion mill that was opened on 17 May 1974.[1]
Contents
About
The center currently operates out of the AMAC Building, 283-289 Dominion Road, Auckland.
Ironically, on the "Clinc Care" page on their website, AMAC has a photo of a koru.[2] The koru is a spiral shape based on the shape of a new unfurling silver fern frond and symbolizing new life, growth, strength and peace.[3] AMAC's business is ending new life - it is unusual that they would place such a photo on their website.
In September 1974, police raided the clinic and 500 files were seized. Dr. Jim Woolnough was accused of procuring 12 abortions. This led to two Supreme Court trials; the first resulting in a hung jury and the second an acquittal. The Appeal Court upheld the “not guilty” verdict.[4] Following the passage of the abortion laws in December 1977, the Auckland Medical Aid Centre immediately closed and Sisters Overseas Service (SOS) groups (initially founded by Elizabeth Sewell) sprang up in New Zealand to help women fly to Australia to obtain a legal abortion.[5] On 10 January 1975 the Court of Appeal ruled that the search warrant had been invalid but the files were used to bring the operating doctor, Dr. Woolnough to trial. He was subsequently acquitted but because of a change in the abortion laws he could not continue operating. The clinic closed in December 1977 as a result of the Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act and did not reopen until August 1979 after a legal battle to obtain a licence.[6]
The Abortion Business is owned by the Auckland Medical Aid Trust, a Charitable Trust.[7]
Personnel
The following have, or are currently serving as directors of the abortion mill:[8]
- Jon Elliott Brewerton, 12 Jun 1994
- Michelle Robin Fitzsimons, 12 June 1994 - 12 June 2001
- Patrick Denis Fitzsimons, 24 Aug 1993 - 25 Apr 2001
Officers
As at 1994, the following were officers of the company:[9]
- Patrick Denis Fitzsimons
- Michelle Anne Brewerton, Secretary
Staff
The following have worked at the Centre:
- Rex Hunton, Medical Director, 1970s
- James Woolnough, abortionist (1970s)[10]
- Lesley Wood, general manager[11]
- Marcella Turia, counsellor[12]
- Ann Brady, nurse/counsellor[13]
- Alison Knowles, abortionist, certifying consultant[14]
- Amanda Wood, Administrator (1997 - 2007)[15]
Operating at Waikato Hospital
Following the Family Planning Association's failed bid with the Department of Health to be able to offer RU486 abortions at their Hamilton clinic, the Waikato District Health Board awarded AMAC the contract to administer these medical abortions in Hamilton. The contract will run from 1 March 2011 - 28 Feb. 2014. The abortions will be committed by AMAC personnel onsite at the Waikato Hospital.[16]
Donating placental tissue for research
Circa 2006, the Auckland Medical Aid Centre abortion mill and the Epsom Day Unit abortion mill donated placental tissue to University of Auckland student Joanna James to assist with her thesis on "Cytotrophoblast Differentiation in the First Trimester of Human Pregnancy". In her acknowledgements, James specifically thanked Prof. Peter Stone "for his assistance in reading my work, and writing numerous referees reports."[17]
Renovations
The Centre has had renovations carried out by Euro Quality Painters LTD. The Centre's general manager Lesley Wood commented, "It was done on time with minimum disruption to our patients & staff."[18]
Services
The Center provides the following services:[19]
- Surgical abortion
- Medical abortion
- Pre & Post abortion counselling
- Contraception
- Abortion referrals
- Dilation & Curettage abortions (to kill pre-born babies, or following early miscarriage)
AMAC charges $1,000 to NZ residents and $1,150 to non-residents for an abortion.[20]
In 2008 the Centre made $1,465,000 in total gross income.[21]
Support from the FPA
Circa 1999, AMAC carried out a a major investigation into manual vacuum aspiration abortion technology on the advice of the Abortion Supervisory Committee. This resulted in AMAC offering abortions two weeks earlier at six weeks gestation, rather than the previous eight weeks. For this service, AMAC gained support from the Family Planning Association.[22]
Contractors
The following are companies that AMAC has paid to perform services.
Euro Painters
Circa 2008, Lesley Wood, General Manager - Auckland Medical Aid Centre Ltd wrote the following testimony for Euro Painters:[23]
- "Just a quick thank you for the painting that you did at our Clinic. It was done on time with minimum disruption to our patients & staff. I am more than pleased with the quality of the finished job & will not hesitate to contact you when further renovations are due."
Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
On July 2, 1993, John Hanson, an attorney from Rudd Watts & Stone (now Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) presented a notice of registered office to the Registrar of Companies in Auckland, New Zealand on behalf of AMAC.[9]
Contact Details
- Website: www.amac.org.nz
- Address: 283-289 Dominion Road, Auckland (map)
- Email: reception@amac.org.nz
- Phone: (09) 638 6040
References
- ↑ AMAC website: An historical perspective on abortion in New Zealand (accessed on 29 April, 2010)
- ↑ AMAC website: Clinic Care (accessed on 12 July, 2010)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Koru
- ↑ Milestones in NZ Sexual Health by Margaret Sparrow, May 2003
- ↑ Sunday Star Times: Abortion 30 years on, 23 Dec. 2007 (accessed on 12 July, 2010)
- ↑ ALRANZ website: Brief History of NZ Abortion Laws (accessed on 12 July, 2010)
- ↑ Charities Commission website: Auckland Medical Aid Trust 2008 Annual Return
- ↑ NZ Companies Office: Directors for Auckland Medical Aid Centre, LTD (accessed on 27 June, 2011)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 [File:AMAC Documents Registered pre Jan 1 2000.pdf Department of Justice: AMAC 1994 Annual Return]
- ↑ Life.org.nz: The Woolnough Trial (accessed on 21 Augu, 2011)
- ↑ Salient: Abortion And the Law: A User’s Guide, 10 Sept, 2007 - comment by Lesley Wood on 21 Sept, 2007 (accessed on 14 Aug. 2011)
- ↑ Ann Brady's Facebook profile (accessed on Feb. 29, 2011)
- ↑ Voxy: Medical Abortion Conference, 19 Oct. 2009 (accessed on 9 Aug. 2011)
- ↑ Amanda Wood's LinkedIn profile (accessed on March 3, 2012)
- ↑ Letter from the Waikato DHB
- ↑ "Cytotrophoblast Differentiation in the First Trimester of Human Pregnancy," A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Joanna James, Dec. 2006
- ↑ Euro Quality Painters: Testimonials (accessed on 15 August, 2011)
- ↑ AMAC website: Homepage (accessed on 28 April, 2010)
- ↑ AMAC website: Fees (accessed on 12 July, 2010)
- ↑ Charities Commission website: Auckland Medical Aid Centre 2008 Annual Return
- ↑ AMAT: Newsletter, Vol. 1, Nov. 1999
- ↑ Euro Painters: Testimonials (accessed on Feb. 29, 2012)
